Heating plant utilizing the waste heat of refrigerating-machines of the compression or absorption type.



E. ALTENKIRCH & B. TENCKHOFF. HEATING PLANT UTILIZING THE WASTE HEAT 0F REFRIGERATING MACHINES OF THE COMPRESSION OR ABSORPTION TYPE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6. 1912.

L mflwn Patented Jan. 30, M7.

ENETED STATEE EEKQEQ EDMUND ALTENKIRG H AND BERNHARD TENCKHOFF, OE BERLIN, GERMANY.

HEATING PLANT UTILIZING THE WASTE HEAT 0]? REFRIGERATING-MACHINES OF THE COMPRESSION 0R ABSORPTION TYPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 3% 1911?.

Application filed January 6, 1912. Serial No. 670,181.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDMUND ALTEN- KIRCH and BERNHARD TENOKHOFF, citizens of the German Empire, residing in the city of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, in said Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating Plants Utilizing the Waste Heat of Refrigerating- Machines of the Compression or Absorption Type, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved heating plant utilizing the waste-heat of refrigerating machines of the compression or absorption type, together with the heat of the motor-engines used for the same.

Heating plants in which a transference of heat of lower temperature to a higher temperature takes place, also heating plants by which the waste-heat of refrigerating machines is utilized, were proposed heretofore.-

On the other hand, it is also well known that the waste-heat of heat-engines, and more especially the exhaust-heat of the same, has been used for heating purposes, but in many cases, as, for instance, in sanatoria and other buildings of larger size, the heat required for the heating plant is so great that the exhaustheat of a heat-en 'ne, provided that the same is used for illuminating and other purposes, is not suflicient for supplying the required quantity of heat for the heating plant.

considerable saving in fuel, however, can be obtained when the two heating systems referred to are combined into one unitary whole, that is to say, when the waste-heat of the condenser of a heat-engine is employed in connection with the heat of the condenser of a refrigerating machine, and with the heat of the products of combustion from the boiler-furnace of the heat-engine for heating the heat-conveying medium of a heating plant; and for this purpose the invention relates to the utilization of the waste-heat in the condenser of a refrigerating machine, and of the wasteheatobtained from the condenser of a heat-engine or other waste-heat for the heating of the heat-carrying medium of a heating system. The waste-heat of the heat-engine is thereby transferred directly as waste-heat from the heat-engine to the heating medium of a heating plant, while waste-heat of a compression refrigerating machine together with the waste-heat from the heat-engine of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figure of the drawmg. I

Referring to the drawing,a represents a steam-boiler, b the condenser of the'steamengine, 03 the refrigerator, and c the condenser of a compression refrigerating machine.

6 represents the steam-cylinder and f the compressing cylinder.

The heating medium which is returned from the radiators h by the conducting pipes Z in relatively cool condition is conducted first through the condenser c of the refrigerating machine and heated by the coils of the same, then conducted through a connecting pipe g to the condenser 72 of the steam-engine, and then returned in heated condition to the radiators of the heating system. Of course, the condensers of the steam engine and of the refrigerating machine are maintained above the temperature of the region to be heated.

In the embodiment shown in the figure it is assumed that the heating of the refrigerator is accomplished by means of groundwater which is su plied by the pump 11. The gain in heat wit this-use of the groundwater is especially large owing to the small difierence in temperature, and is the more valuable, as contra-distinguished from the generation of cold, the greater the .depth from which the water is supplied.

In cases where the ground-water or the water which is supplied by a water-service company cannot be obtained in suflicient quantity, then the heat of the atmosphere has to be used. For preventing the formation of frost on the metallic surfaces, the exchange of heat can be produced in the well known manner by means of open brinetanks. In this case the heat of the remaining products of combustion can be utilized by subjecting the circulating brine, before being delivered to the refrigerating machine, to the heat of the products of combustion on their way to the chimney.

The useful features which have been before stated for the compression refrigerating machine are also taken advantage of in absorption refrigerating machines. The heat which is generated in the condenser andabsorber of the same is always greater than the heat required for the refrigerating eifect of the machine by an amount equivalent to the cooling power of the refrigerator.

It is obvious and advisable that a heat-engine of somewhat greater power should be selected than would be necessary for driving the refrigerating machine, so that also light and power can be produced by, the engine, as thereby the more economical working of the plant is obtained, or the heat-engine may be used for this purpose "during the periods when no heating is required, or when a smaller quantity of heat is necessary. Furthermore, the refrigerating machine may be appliedduring the summer and other periods when no heating is required, for thev production of ice and otherrefrigerating purposes, and in the winter simultaneously for refrigerating and heating pu'r oses, so that such combination plants can e introduced to advantage where they would not be economical enough when used solely for heating purposes.

We claim:

1. A plant. for heating purposes, eo'mprising a heat engine, a refrigerating-machine driven thereby, condensers for saidheat engine and said refrigerating machine, and means for placing the condensers .of said heat engine and of said refrigerating machine in thermal connection with the region to be heated, said condensers being maintained above the tem erature of the region to be heated, said condensers being thermally connected with each other.

2. A plant for heatingpurposes, comprising a heat engine having a condenser, a refrigerating machine, driven by said heat engine and having a condenser, a heat conveying medium, means for placing said medium in thermal connection with the condenser of said heatengine and the condenser of said refrigerating machine, to be heated by both, said condensers being maintained above the temperature of the region to be heated, said condensers being thermally connected with each other,means for transporting said medium to the region to be heatedyand means for returning the cooled medium to the said condenser of the heat engine and the condenser of the refrigerating machine, there to be, reheated.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND ALTENKIRCH. BERNHARD TENGKHOFF. Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

